Over £10m of unclaimed benefits available for Oxfordshire pensioners

Registering for pension credit could help towards living costs such as gas or electric prepayments

Oxfordshire pensioners are being urged to check if they are entitled to part of £10.4m in benefits that has not been claimed.

Age UK the county council said that about 5,000 older people were not claiming pension credit to which they were entitled.

The benefit could enable them to claim even more financial support.

This includes access to help with housing costs and, for those over 75, entitlement to a free TV licence.

Pension credit is an income-related benefit that tops up a weekly income to £201.05 for a single person, and to a joint amount of £306.85 for a couple.

Registering for it could make it easier to unlock other financial entitlements, resulting in more overall support than the income top-up itself.

This includes Oxfordshire County Council's Resident Support Scheme, that helps with short-term basic living costs such as credit for gas or electric prepayment meters.

Karen Fuller, the council's director for adult social care, said the amount of unclaimed financial support in the county was "quite astonishing".

Paul Ringer, CEO of Age UK Oxfordshire, urged people "to check whether they or a family member might be entitled to some of that income".

Applications for pension credit could be made online or by calling 0800 99 1234.

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